Linksys Expander - Replacement has less strength

[KingUMGA]

I have a Linksys Router WRT54G, Adapter WMP54G, and Expander WRE54G. My new expander does not connect with the same signal strength and speed as the original. Checking the status on the Linksys icon shows full 5-bar strength at 54 speed but the indication through Windows when connected is 2 bars and 18 speed. In the setup process I had 2 connections available: a WEP secured signal of 62% and an unsecured signal of 98%. I chose the 98% signal but the actual connection is weak. I pressed the "Auto Configure" button on the side of the Expander to make the connection on the unsecured. I've tried to compare all of the IP addresses, MAC addresses, Subnet Masks, Default Gateways and such to see what might need to match or be different but I don't know enough about these settings. When I had Windows perform a "Repair" it failed with the reason "Could not complete: Renewing your IP address". I removed and uninstalled the adapter and during the reinstallation process got a "WMP54Gv4.exe-Application Error: The exception unknown software exception (0x0eedfade) occurred in the application at location (0x7c812afb)" I also turned off the Windows Firewall in case that was blocking something. I really just need to get the adapter to recognize the stronger signal. The problem seems like it should be simple enough to resolve with the right knowledge.